Topband: more adventures - antenna

[Bill Cromwell]

Hi,

I have been in trouble getting anywhere on top band despite some
successful QSOs. The Ranger is working pretty well and I think is close
to factory spec on 40 meters now (but still too drifty for me). After I
move that dropping resistor outside the VFO cage I'll evaluate it again.
Maybe that will be good enough. Otherwise I will build an external VFO
to plug into one of the xtal sockets. I will make it operate in the 80
meter band for 40 meter output - OR - I'll build a heterodyne VFO with
output on 160 and 40. The mixer would be keyed. That will completely
isolate the VFO from the TX output. The heterodyne scheme would allow
the oscillators to run all the time to help out with drift.

I shifted my focus to my antenna. I had been noticing some strange
behavior and overall poor results. It's a 'random' end fed wire. I have
used those before with great results. Greater than a dummy load. But
this one is 'randomly' about 195 feet long. Moe is bettah? I have
suspected it might be an awkward length for my tuner. Today the tree
trimmers came a couple of weeks early and we took down one end of the
wire and rolled it up..laid the roll on the grass. I tried it out right
where it is...about half deployed. I found a good, solid sweet spot on
160! I still have to wait and see how it plays "on the air" but the
results are encouraging. I'll shorten the wire by at least 25 feet when
I put it back up and then take more if needed. My other end fed wires
were somewhere around 120 feet at the longest. Those guys will be
working on the trees and brush until dark tonight. Maybe I'll just try
it for RBN and QSOs tonight - right where it is.

73,

Bill  KU8H